AYP magazine, April 2017 by Association of YMCA Professionals

A publication by the Association of YMCA Professionals

Inspired Leadership for the YMCA Professional Vol. 7 No. 2 Apr/May 2017

IT’S REALLY

HAPPENING In a feat of remarkable innovation and tenacity, YMCAs are on track for a national membership network by year’s end.

Congratulations to the newest graduates of the 2015 YMCA/JCC CRI Training Coach program.

Learn, Grow, Succeed Education and Training For YMCA/JCC Professionals Most Recent Alumni Jean Fry Jennifer Brownlow John Binnie Joseph Granza Justin Noel Karen Buckley Katelyn Szafir Kathy Dew Kelli Holder Krystal Snider Kyle Britton Lincoln Huth Lisa Becht Lisa Horton

Luke Brookner Matt Sallinen Maureen Wilcox Megan Brazill Melanie VanderHorn Melissa McGlynn Melissa Wright Meredith Frazier Patrick McGahan Peta McMillan Peter Christenson Peter Rana Robyn Cohen Santiago Prada

Sarah Faulkner Seth Hazen Shannon Hughes Sharon Allen Shelley McCarty Stacey Hatch Tim Cedrone Tim Lebling Travis Randle Trevalyn Bell Troy Henrich Valerie Prenzlow Victoria MacKenzie Wade Messner

Since its inception, Cybex has hosted over 300 YMCA/JCC professionals, representing over 600 branches at our world headquarters for a unique learning experience, the YMCA Training Coach program. This four-day comprehensive workshop combines classroom instruction with practical hands-on training. Topics covered include anatomy, kinesiology, biomechanics, and motor learning. The program was created to help further the participants’ education in exercise science. It also provides cardio and strength product training to equip their staff with safe and effective ways to better serve their members on the wellness floor. In 2016, the Cybex Research Institute (CRI) Training Coach team, led by Dr. Paul Juris, will once again offer YMCA and JCC health and wellness professionals this highly personalized and exclusive opportunity. Availability is limited. For more information on attending one of the 2016 sessions, contact Al Rousseau at +1.860.621.8888. Visit cybexintl.com to learn more.

“The workshop provides the education and training for our staff to be experts for our communities and members.” Bobbi Wiliams Associate Executive Director Merrimack Valley YMCA

Scan the QR code to see what people are saying about the YMCA Training Coach Program.

Aaron Mayfield Christina Patel Abel Albanes Colleen McLain Adrian Sadowski Collette Cosby Alex Ciambrone Craig Lewis Alex Shelton Dan Chambers Amber Nelson Dan de Saussure Andrew Jeffrys David Trubiani Ann Johnson Fiona Kriaris April Hix Harriet Shirley Bonnie Livingston Heidi Zarder Brandon Brugger Hiliary Nichols Bryan Einwalter J Morgan Carlos Garcia Jamie Lyell Carma DeVillers Jayne Miller Morgan Catherine Santamaria

perspective

Shared Vision What will your AYP membership look like moving forward? Since the announcement in January that the AYP Board had unanimously agreed to pursue the integration of the valuable programs and services of AYP into Talent & Knowledge Management â&#x20AC;&#x201D; YMCA of the USA, our board members along with Y-USA staff have been developing a new model. The model is not complete and certainly will be modified; however, we are excited to share with you some preliminary information. Our shared goal with Y-USA is to successfully transition the existing AYP nonprofit structure to a new structure embedded in Y-USA. This new structure will provide a complimentary suite of networking and professional development solutions, all in support of strengthening leadership of the movement. The next iteration of AYP will continue as a Professional Development Network that is membership-based, network board volunteer-led, focused on professional development and networking. Two vital stakeholder groups intimately connected to our current model, EAF (Emergency Assistance Fund) and AYR (Association of YMCA Retirees) are separate nonprofit organizations with individual boards. We are working to maintain our close interconnectivity and build upon shared goals.

PLANNED FEATURES AND BENEFITS Y-USA is committed to strengthening the leadership development and networking opportunities Some features and benefits will include:

Leadership Opportunities Staff continues engaging in local and regional network board and conference planning committees

Network Support

Sal Cisneros President & CEO, Channel Islands YMCA Board Chair, AYP

A system to allow network leadership to run membership reports and communicate with members Network leader ability to identify potential members Toolkit to support network boards Virtual sessions for network board leadership for continued development throughout the year

PROPOSED MEMBERSHIP MODEL

Terri Radcliff Sr. VP, Talent & Knowledge Mgt. YMCA of the USA Board Member, AYP

Professional Development Learnings specific to Y roles e Workshops at network events A 12-month onboarding program toolkit, including virtual and inperson experiences A mentoring program toolkit for local activation

Peer to Peer Learning Peer-to-peer membership and program learning networks

All YMCA staff will be members of this new network, and all staff will have access to basic network tools and resources (e.g. career path resources, development plans, peer-to-peer learning opportunities). Staff looking for a deeper connection can become a Prime network member by completing an eLearning and paying a small annual membership fee. Prime members have access to all resources and discounts on eLearnings, events, and conferences.

NEXT STEPS Y-USA will work with AYP stakeholders to further evolve AYPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s integration into Y-USA, while continuing to keep in mind the importance of networking and continued professional development for Y staff at all levels. We will keep our membership updated as the future structure continues to take shape.

Events Local network events Regional multi-network conferences

April/May 2017 AYP magazine 1

Interested in contributing to AYP magazine? Contact Carla Kalogeridis at 313-884-0988 or ayp_edit@networkmediapartners.com.

Custom Publishing Services provided by Network Media Partners

Advertising Contact: Holly Klarman hklarman@networkmediapartners.com 410-584-1990 AYP magazine is published bimonthly by the Association of YMCA Professionals. ©2017 by the Association of YMCA Professionals. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission. Address copyright queries to ayp_edit@networkmediapartners.com Annual subscription to AYP magazine is $35 (international is an additional $75 a year) and is included in the membership dues for AYP members. If you are unsure of your subscription status, please contact Josh Cruz at josh@ayponline.org or call 413-748-3884. Statement of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers or members of AYP. AYP magazine connects, inspires, and advances the leaders of the YMCA through an exploration in leadership arts, thereby inciting creativity, strength, and strategic thinking.

Association Media & Publishing 2015 Silver EXCEL Award, General Excellence 2015 Bronze EXCEL Award, Design Excellence 2012 Silver EXCEL Award, Most Improved, 50,000 or fewer APEX 2014 Award of Excellence, Magazine, Journal & Tabloid Writing 2013 Award of Excellence, Magapaper & Newspaper Writing 2012 Grand Award, Design and Illustration 2012 Award of Excellence, Design and Illustration 2012 Award of Excellence, Magazine & Journal Writing

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It’s Really Happening By Carla Kalogeridis YMCAs are on track for nationwide membership by year’s end. Here’s the backstory on how this remarkable feat is going to benefit Ys and their members.

Great businesses are powered by great people.

We c elp you have both.

Using an innovative KronosÂŽ workforce solution to attract and retain best-fit people and manage them more cost-effectively means your YMCA can do more to deliver safe, quality programs to your members while reducing costs and reallocating the savings into furthering your critical mission. Learn more at kronos.com/nonprofits today.

AYP National Board of Directors Chair Sandy Morander, YMCA of Greater San Antonio Chair-Elect Sal Cisneros, Channel Islands YMCA Treasurer Kelly Kay, YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City Secretary Kimberly Moser, Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA Immediate Past Chair David Byrd, YMCA of Greater Kansas City Theresa Hillis, Kandiyohi County Area Family YMCA Harry Rock, Springfield College Kim Moser, Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA Tracy Miller, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington Michael Bright, YMWCA of Newark and Vicinity Ted Wenta, YMCA of Snohomish County Craig Heinrichs, YMCA of Greater Indianapolis Terri Radcliff, YMCA of the USA Lisa Ramirez, YMCA of Greater San Antonio Ebony Young, YMCA of Greater New York Jon Agnew, Philadelphia and Freedom Valley YMCA

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postings

got a minute?

EAF Board Chair Eric Ellsworth, YMCA of Greater Indianapolis Chair-Elect George Romell, YMCA of Greater Rochester Secretary/Treasurer Bob Hastedt, YMCA Retirement Fund Teresa Rogers, Volusia-Flagler YMCA Karen Leslie, YMCA of Greater Providence Rig Riggins, YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Dick Bennett, Lake County (Ohio) YMCA Krystal Canady, YMCA of Eastern Union County Joan Lovell, YMCA of the USA Jim Havlick, Association of YMCA Retirees Tracy Miller, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington Andy Vamis, YMCA of San Francisco Rob Wilkinson, Kishwaukee Family YMCA Sean Elliot, Philadelphia and Freedom Valley YMCA Alan Hostrup, YMCA of Greater Los Angeles

AYP Mission The Association of YMCA Professional inspires, connects and empowers Y leaders to achieve personal excellence to support the movement.

AYP Fundamental Principles Innovate, Lead, Support — these guide the AYP focus and Its leadership Data Driven, Defined Outcomes, Relevant, Network Plus — these shape the development, delivery and direction of AYP experiences

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News from AYP chapters and members

Derek Schlager, YMCA of Metro Chicago

findings Take Charge of Digital Disruption

Keys to Successful Negotiations Time to Get Intentional

Kimberly Moser, Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA Theresa Hillis, Kandiyohi County Area YMCA

Stitzer YMCA Center, 2nd Floor Springfield College 263 Alden St. Springfield, MA 01109 www.ayponline.org Tel: 413-748-3884 Fax: 413-748-3872

the science of... Stress How to Fight Stress With Empathy

feature Swimming to Safety Aquatics tops the priority list for Y safety professionals

feature Rules of Financial Engagement for Y Professionals A Y career doesn’t have to come at the expense of financial security

marketplace

spirituality

Items of Interest from vendors and partners

A Little Salt and Light in a Chaotic World Even a little effort can make a big difference in someone’s world

Engaging America’s Largest Workforce

AYP Editorial Advisory Group

Association of YMCA Professionals

perspective

body, mind, spirit Why you’ve got to start taking that vacation time, and a letter-cutting mind game

postings Chapter 25

Greater Richmond to Host Weight of State Conference The YMCA of Greater Richmond will be well represented with two workshops facilitated by AYP members Jana Smith, William Thornton, and Matt Roberson. The Virginia statewide annual Weight of the State conference on youth obesity on April 3-4, 2017, will be held in Richmond, at the Hilton Richmond Hotel in Short Pump. The 2017 Weight of the State conference will highlight Virginia’s efforts to bridge the nutritional divide, showcasing the latest approaches to increasing access to healthy foods, ending childhood hunger, and creating healthier communities. National, state, and local experts will share cutting-edge tactics for promoting healthy nutrition and closing the hunger gap, including community-based approaches and policy changes. www.weightofthestateva.com/

Chapter 25

Recognizing Hard Work for Electronic Health System Transition A shout-out to the following Virginia YMCA Associations that are AYP Chapter 25 members: the YMCA of South Hampton Roads, YMCA of Metropolitan Peninsula, YMCA of Central Virginia, YMCA of Virginia Tech, Allegheny Highlands YMCA, and YMCA of Greater Richmond, whose YMCA program, finance, and compliance staff have worked tirelessly over the past six months (and are still working) to transition their Y to an electronic health system so the Y can be a Medicare-Medicaid provider in the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program. These efforts have been led by Sarah Crouch, Frank Lampkin, Michael Bennett, Randi Abell, Ryan Martin, Jennifer Unroe, María José Mejía Ruiz, & Jana Smith. www.ymca.net/diabetes-prevention/

Chapter 25

Dominion Virginia Power Helps Renovation of Petersburg YMCA Representatives from Dominion Virginia Power announced that they are contributing $500,000 to help renovate the Petersburg YMCA. The funding will help upgrade the building and support several new programs at the facility. Among the planned improvements are the installment of a full kitchen, where organizers hope children and adults can learn more about healthy eating.

Chapter 25

Chapter Gearing up for Statewide Conference AYP VA Chapter 25 will host its statewide annual Spring Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia at the Williamsburg Lodge, May 11-12, 2017. More than 350 Virginia AYP members are expected to attend. The 2017 conference theme is Passion Led Us Here. www.ayp25.org

SPREAD THE WORD

Your News is Our News AYP members and chapters are encouraged to submit personnel announcements and promotions, YMCA news, and other stories to Thomas Marcetti at ayp_edit@networkmediapartners.com. Relevant photos are welcome, too!

6 AYP magazine April/May 2017

W H E N THE RE â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S A N E E D, WE HAVE

THE WAY Since 1904, AYP members in need have found financial support and caring through the

Emergency Assistance Fund of AYP. It is only possible through your contributions.

The next person in need might be you.

Please send your EAF pledge today.

https://goo.gl/8DQDQy

got a minute?

derek

SCHLAGER Youth and Family Director Elmhurst YMCA of Metro Chicago

Your perfect happiness? Sun, beach, and cold Your greatest fear? Spiders Living person you identify with? Will Ferrell Favorite fictional hero? Mr. Incredible Favorite real-life heroes? My parents Greatest achievement? Making my parents proud Favorite plant? Any that provide food Favorite food? Mexican Where would you most like to be? On a warm vacation Greatest extravagance? Nike shoes Ultimate vacation? Caribbean Top of bucket list? Sky diving (I’m scared of heights) Trait you deplore? Pretentiousness Greatest regret? Not traveling more often Where are you happiest? Anywhere with my family and friends Talents you most like to share? My sense of humor Proudest moment at the Y? Making a difference in a child’s life Current state of mind? Slaphappy Favorite thing about Y co-workers? They’re my second family Favorite thing about Y members? They’re passionate about the Y Inspires you most? Kids in my programs beverages

ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY MORROW

Where would you like to live? California (during the winter) Dream occupation? My current job, making 10 times as much Your most obvious characteristics? Outgoing and talkative Quality you like most in a friend? Supportive and funny Quality you like most in a co-worker? Good work ethic Favorite writer? Dr. Seuss Favorite movie? The Heat What keeps you up at night? Y-mares What you dislike most? Running out of caffeine How to

secure the viability of the Y movement? Always remembering the Y mission and why we do what we do Your motto? Everything happens for a reason How did this interview make you feel? Like I’m taking a test I didn’t study for

findings TECHNOLOGY

5 Ways Leaders Can Take Charge In An Era of Digital Disruption The rapid advancement of technology continues to change the world faster than many organizations can keep up, disrupting all their plans and threatening to render them obsolete. That’s why it may be time for Y leaders to take the initiative and start doing a little disrupting of their own.. “We’re in an era of digital disruption,” says Dushyant Sukhija, author of The Cisco Way: Leadership Lessons Learned from One of the World’s Greatest Technology Services Companies. “As leaders, if you don’t transform to master the digital era to disrupt, you’ll get disrupted. And it will be a brutal disruption, where the majority of companies will not exist in a meaningful way 10 to 15 years from now.” Sukhija says those in leadership positions can guide their organizations through the new digital era by following a simple five-step operational blueprint:

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Concept

Build and execute a compelling vision. Focus on developing a vision that is disruptive to your industry and think three to five years out. Engage your members, community, and partners in the process. Clarify and articulate the value. Ensure that your entire organization and ecosystem internalizes and drives in formation towards that vision. Build robust execution plans to work towards it, review your performance regularly and make course corrections when needed. Adopt a partner-centric model to deliver. Collaboration is core to delivering with speed in the new digital world. Pick the right partners to build unique and sustainable value for your members. Convince them of your vision and strategy. Show them how you innovate and create new opportunities. Reinvent yourself. A nimble Y that can read transitions and adapt itself to refocus on more effective ways to deliver new member value is best suited to lead through the digital disruption. Deploy a governance process to listen, learn, execute, lead, and adjust to changing dynamics and needs. Turn people into your secret weapon. Employees are the true intellectual capital of every Y and that means branches must invest in their people to enable them to become the catalysts to help you navigate the digital transformation. Harness their intellectual horsepower to drive exceptional thought leadership and repeatability of proven leading practices. Accelerate the speed of innovation. Innovation is not just about the technology but also about how you organize yourself, how you engage your members, and how you drive cultural change through your organization. Resource sharing and clustering talent should come into laser-sharp focus to get closer to your members and streamline your services. Learn from your members by engaging them in your innovation cycles. Become nimble to react to changing needs.

Complet

ion

YMCA Berkeley

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April/May 2017 AYP magazine 9

findings WORKFORCE HEALTH AND FITNESS PROTECTION

THERE’S RISK IN EVERY REACH, STRETCH, AND EXTENSION. WE CAN HELP PROTECT YOU FROM IT.

Engaging Millennials: How to Get America’s Largest Workforce With an expert by your side, you have the guidance you need to protect your business from crippling moves. As a leading provider of coverage for the Health and Fitness industry, we make it easy to exercise your right to protection that keeps your business as healthy as your clients.

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10 AYP magazine April/May 2017

You know who they are. Those unengaged employees who show up, do their jobs, and then go home, not giving work a second thought. Also obvious are engaged employees — those who are passionate about what they do and why they do it.. Unfortunately, high employee engagement among Millennials — the largest workforce in the U.S. — is proving the exception and not the norm. A recent Gallup poll of more than 1 million participants revealed less than one-third of Millennials are engaged in their jobs. Millennials make up 38 percent of the current workforce, but in less than 10 years, they are expected to account for a staggering 75 percent of America’s labor pool. This is why today’s savvy, forward-thinking employers are seeking innovative strategies to increase employee engagement among Millennials, to benefit all involved now and into the future.

WHAT DRIVES MILLENNIAL EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT? To find the best ways to engage Millennials, it’s first important to understand why current engagement levels are so low. In order for engagement to occur, an employee must feel a sense of purpose in their work. While this can take many forms, one means toward this end is empowering employees to make a meaningful and quantifiable effect on helping address environmental and social issues. Confidence in their leaders is also critical. A survey conducted by Australian startup Culture Amp found that 74 percent of respondents consider confidence in their leadership as a key driver of engagement. The good news in all of this? The ball sits squarely in the company’s court within its own span of control..

Karen Leland is CEO of Sterling Marketing Group and author of nine books, including “The Brand Mapping Strategy: Design, Build, and Accelerate Your Brand.”

SKILLSET

5 Things All Successful Negotiators Know and You Probably Should, Too According to the World Economic Forum, negotiation will be one of the top 10 skills required for success in 2020. Now is the time to learn how to negotiate..

1. The cost of asking is lower than the cost of not asking. It can be nerve racking to enter into a negotiation with a superior, but it usually pays off. As Wayne Gretzky famously said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” Essentially, if you don’t ask for it, nobody will. Whether it is for a higher salary, more vacation days, or a better assignment, negotiate for you yourself.

2. Know what the other side has to offer and make requests accordingly. Ask for a little more than you expect to get, but don’t start your negotiation asking for way more than you could possibly expect to receive. If you know your company’s budget, ask for a salary increase within that amount. If you want a few more vacation days, don’t ask for two months paid leave so you can backpack around Europe. Have high expectations, but not out of the realm of possibility..

3. Know what the job requires. Asking for more also means more work. Just like you should know what your company can reasonably provide, you should also know your capabilities. We all want that raise or promotion, but we are not all necessarily qualified for it. If you negotiate for a job or assignment that you cannot successfully complete, it will damage your credibility in your next negotiation.

4. Always do what is best for yourself and for the group. We all enter into negotiations trying to get exactly what we want. However, your goal should be to achieve the best possible outcome for everyone involved. Ask for what you want, but be ready to make some concessions. If the other side is angered by how the negotiation is going, they will not agree to anything.

BOOST MEMBERSHIP AND REVENUES AT YOUR YMCA Join nearly 1,000 YMCAs that are increasing membership and revenues by taking advantage of the Silver&Fit® Exercise and Healthy Aging Program, offered by American Specialty Health Fitness (ASH Fitness). Our dynamic network serves over 4 million eligible Silver&Fit members. The application process is free, easy, fast, and online. Benefits of Participating:

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5. All aspects of life and work can be a negotiated. You might think that you only negotiate at work and that you only learned to do it as an adult. However, it is likely that you’ve actually been negotiating your entire life. As a kid, you bargained with your parents to let you stay up an hour later. In college, you negotiated with your roommates about living space rules. When you got married, you negotiated with your spouse about your wedding. So take these skills and apply them to work. You might be an expert negotiator and just not know it yet.

Jack Simony is chairman of the board at the Negotiation Institute. NA-083B (01/17) © 2017 American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH). All rights reserved. Silver&Fit and the Silver&Fit logo are trademarks of ASH.

April/May 2017 AYP magazine 11

findings POTENTIAL

This Spring, Join Other YMCAs

Time To Get Intentional About Your Professional Development We all know there are two great certainties in life — death and taxes. Hard to argue. But there’s a third that is almost equally as certain. Most of us will not achieve our full potential. There will always be some exceptions but, for most of us, this certainty will also hold true. One of the key drivers of this phenomenon is the lack of intentionality. We all have dreams and aspirations for our careers and professional development, but far too often we lack the intentionality to make them happen. Enter the ladder of intentionality. I love the metaphor of the ladder because the higher you climb, the scarier it gets. And so it is with intentionality.because you’re putting yourself out there. Suddenly what seemed unobtainable starts to feel a lot more real and achievable.

THE FIRST RUNG: THINK ABOUT IT

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Let’s start on the lowest rung of the ladder. This is where many of our thoughts and dreams reside. All our great thoughts and plans have to start somewhere. You’re musing to yourself over a nice hot cup of coffee while listening to your favorite music on your playlist. “Mmm — maybe, one day, this is what I’m going to be working on” or “This is who I’ll be working for” or “I’ll get that promotion to manager etc.” Many of these thoughts and dreams enter your consciousness, bounce around a bit — then leave — almost without a trace. No one, other than you, even knows you’ve had the thought — so there’s no one to hold you accountable. Not even yourself. There is literally no intentionality here.

THE SECOND RUNG: WRITE IT DOWN Now a couple of those ideas might stick around — and when that happens the first thing you should do is get as specific as possible about those dreams. What’s the work? What’s your timeline? We tend to dream vaguely and dread specifically — which paralyzes us from action. Instead — flip that on its head by dreaming specifically and dreading vaguely. With your specific career dream in hand, it’s time to climb up to the next rung of the ladder of intentionality. On this rung, it’s time to write these thoughts or dreams down. Just by doing this simple act, you are becoming more intentional. Someone could read them and hold you accountable! And by the way — that someone could be you. If, after writing them down, a couple of your specific professional aspirations are still sticking around and getting you excited — then it’s time for the next rung.

THE THIRD RUNG: DECLARE IT OUT LOUD

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12 AYP magazine April/May 2017

Here on the third rung of the ladder, it’s time to actually declare your thought or dream for your career out loud. Now your level of intentionality has kicked into a whole new gear — because it is your word. You are sharing with friends, family, and colleagues that you have a dream, and you fully intend to make it happen.

Start with your inner circle — the people you trust. At least then you know that the reactions you’re getting are coming from people you know care about you. If you remain determined after having declared your career intentions out loud, then you are well on your way — but still not on the highest rung of the ladder.

THE TOP RUNG: GET OTHERS TALKING ABOUT IT The highest rung on the ladder of intentionality is when you get others talking about it. You have declared your dream and your intention to realize that business or personal dream with such passion, conviction and specificity, that everybody is talking about it, and you’d actually be letting them down too (in addition to yourself) by not following through. Getting to the highest rung of intentionality is critical, but it is not enough. With your specific dream and high intentionality, you must then focus on really thorough planning and preparation. Success favors those who are intentional, not only about their dreams, but in the preparation to make them happen. So make this the year you get specific about your professional aspirations, get intentional, plan and prepare well, and summon the courage.

Jeremy Cage, author of All Dreams On Deck, is president of The Cage Group, which focuses on unleashing the full potential of businesses and people.

April/May 2017 AYP magazine 13

the science of... STRESS

How to Fight Stress with Empathy By Arthur P. Ciaramicoli

ow many times have you been concerned about a friend, loved one, co-worker, or member and asked if everything’s all right only to be told, “Oh, I’m just stressed,” as if there’s nothing to worry about? We often use the words “I’m stressed” casually in our everyday conversations, with little acknowledgment of the adverse effects of stress in our lives. But evidence suggests that we should be much more concerned about our stress levels than we are. The Center for Disease Control found that 66 percent of American workers say they lie awake at night troubled by the physical or emotional effects of stress, and stress has been linked to many health problems, including obesity and heart disease — especially among lowincome Americans. Stress not only affects us, but it can impact those around us, too, especially our children. Not all stress is bad, of course. Stress can also be invigorating or lead us to care about the welfare of others if channeled in the right way. Nor is it always avoidable — many of us have lives with stressors beyond our personal control. But, psychologists have identified key variables that determine whether stress ultimately affects us positively or negatively: Our perception of stress The meaning we attach to it Our ability to cope with uncertainty and ambiguity

14 AYP magazine April/May 2017

The degree of control we have over the circumstances that produce the stress In my experience, many people don’t recognize the role that their own perceptions, fueled by biases, play in exacerbating stress. By becoming more aware of our biases in perception, we can learn to focus on the truthful assessment of situations we encounter without distorting reality, thereby remaining calm, energetic, creative, and resilient when faced with highly stressful situations. As a psychologist, I’ve worked with countless people who suffer from debilitating stress in their lives, often without recognizing how it impacts their health, relationships, and work lives.

To some extent, we can reduce stress by simply taking good care of ourselves through getting proper sleep, exercise, and nutrition. But, to really thrive in the face of stress, we should also work toward finding meaning or purpose in our work or other activities, and toward nurturing our positive relationships using empathy. Why use empathy? Because when we give and receive empathy we produce the near magical neurotransmitter oxytocin, which creates a sense of trust and cooperation — keys to negotiating and resolving conflict, whether between couples, communities, states, or countries. Leading with empathy can help those around us to be sources of support in our lives and reduce the likelihood of interpersonal conflicts. Of course, it may be difficult to imagine feeling empathic when we are angry or tired. Think of a couple reuniting after a long day of work. Without first connecting through empathy and love, they may end up fighting over whose turn it is to do the dishes or simply withdrawing from each other, depriving themselves of the comfort that closeness brings. We can avoid this by practicing empathic listening with one another instead of falling into our usual patterns. Too many of us listen to each other with half an ear, preoccupied and not fully present. We tend to listen with bias, making up our minds before we hear the full story, or to connect everything the other person says to our own experience without considering their perspective. We then make well-meaning comments that do not honor the uniqueness of the other’s person’s thoughts or feelings, such as, “I know what you’re going through.” Or, we get distracted by the noise of our internal voices and end up judging or second-guessing one another, which keeps us from really listening. Without truly listening, we run the risk of losing connection and making false assumptions. Empathic listening requires giving up a self-centered view of the world, focusing and paying attention, and setting aside biases or distorted thinking to connect with another person’s emotions. It means coming to your interactions with a true desire for connection and understanding, rather than winning. Empathy is easier when we understand some of the stories we carry inside about who we are and learn to see how it clouds our reactions and judgments. If we have been humiliated in childhood or starved of attention, we may have trouble trusting others or feeling comfortable with intimacy. Couples who fight a lot often carry stories like these about themselves — perhaps feeling unworthy because of past hurts — that make it hard for them to be present and more vulnerable to their partners. But when people learn to respond with empathic listening, it can help them to shift from their stories and distorted ways of thinking. They become less likely to take something done or said personally, assume that other people hold similar attitudes to one’s own, or focus only on the negative instead of the positive in a situation. Here are some of the recommendations I make to help people enhance their empathic listening and their ability to express empathy: Reflect what others say to you by either repeating or rephrasing what someone has said. “It sounds like you had a lot going on today at work, right?”

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April/May 2017 AYP magazine 15

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Emphasize the feeling behind the words and check on the accuracy of your interpretation. “You sound exhausted. Is there something affecting you at work?” Pay attention to body language. “You look tense. What can I do to help?” Ask open-ended questions, to show you are interested in their perspective. “How was your day at the office?” Not, “Why are you so late?” Slow down and take a deep breath to calm yourself if you are feeling your buttons being pushed or if you are absorbing someone else’s tension. Slowing down your emotional reactions can be helpful for truly tuning in to another person and not being tripped up by your own reactivity. Some people have found that mindfulness meditation, self-compassion, or compassion training can help with this kind of emotional regulation. Avoid snap judgments. Empathy means seeing human beings as always changing and evolving; so you don’t want to judge and shut the person down. Learn from the past. If you are unaware of your own biases and often jump to conclusions, you will have trouble truly listening to another person and perceiving them accurately. Know your personal biases and use cognitive reframing — a technique that involves reconsidering your interpretations of events — to help you re-evaluate what’s actually happening in a given conflict or situation versus what you’re telling yourself at the time. By engaging your brain in this way, you can rewire it to be less emotionally triggered and to calm your nervous system. Learning to communicate with empathy can go a long way toward building more positivity in your relationships and reducing your stress. If we all focused more on listening and understanding each other, the world would be a lot less stressful — and a lot happier — place to live.

Arthur P. Ciaramicoli, Ed.D., Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been treating clients for more than 30 years. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Massachusetts Psychological Association.

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16 AYP magazine April/May 2017

partner program

AYP Partners support our community The AYP Partner Program is designed to help connect Y professionals with vendors and suppliers that have made a commitment to AYP. AYP Partners want to support the Y movement and provide you and your facility with the best products, services, and solutions. You can find AYP Professional Partners featured in AYP magazine, at www.AYPonline. org, and at AYP events throughout the year. Consider supporting the companies that support your association — just look for the AYP Partner logo.

April/May 2017 AYP magazine 17

ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S REALLY

HAPPENING

By Carla Kalogeridis

18 AYP magazine April/May 2017

In a feat of remarkable innovation and tenacity, YMCAs are on track for a national membership network by year’s end.

hen YMCA of the USA President and CEO Kevin Washington challenged YMCAs to come together on a national membership reciprocity agreement in February 2016, it wasn’t a foreign concept to the movement — although some of the challenges associated with it today may be. About 30 years ago, a group of Y executives sponsored the “Away Program,” with the basic message that members were always welcome at a YMCA, no matter where they travelled. The premise was logical, but fraught with too many variables: Some Ys charged out of town guests, while others did not; some Ys opened their entire facility to visitors from other Ys, while others only gave access to certain areas. April/May 2017 AYP magazine 19

IT’S ABOUT GETTING all the YMCAs doing reciprocity the same way and aligning them for the power of the national movement. Gary Schuyler President and CEO (retired), YMCA Southcoast

OUR COMMUNITIES expect us to get consistent on the YMCA membership experience today. Cindy McDermott Vice President, Membership, Y-USA

20 AYP magazine April/May 2017

But Washington was talking about something much more than just a universal welcome mat at the door of every Y. His challenge was as much about dramatically boosting the value of membership and positioning and marketing the Y brand as it was about perpetuating a culture that is welcoming and inclusive. A national committee was established last March to get the job done, cochaired by Sandy Walker, CEO of the YMCA of Silicon Valley, and Gary Schuyler, recently retired president and CEO of the YMCA Southcoast and currently consulting on the membership reciprocity project for Y-USA. Cindy McDermott, Y-USA’s vice president, membership — a completely new position introduced at the organization in 2014 — has also played a leadership role in the effort as part of her responsibilities for long-term membership strategies. “What we’ve put together is a seamless membership for YMCA cardholders — a nationwide membership program — so that members can access any YMCA in the U.S., wherever they go,” explains Walker. “The national Y structure is not visible to many members, so this program should greatly enhance their membership value.” The nationwide membership will deliver better value for a Y membership because members gain the ability to stay healthy at the Y near their workplace in addition to the Y near their home; the flexibility for each family member to use the Y closest to where they spend most of their time; the opportunity for members to access a Y when traveling; and the bonus of relatives visiting each other to visit the local Y to enjoy activities with their extended family. And there are other reasons that the nationwide membership is important, says Walker. “It is our objective as a movement for the Ys to be more inclusive and welcoming to all members,” she explains. “During times of transition, the Y can welcome members when they move to a new location. If you’re away from home for an extended period working on a big project for an employer, the Y can be your home away from home. A nationwide membership also supports our goal to help members stay healthy on a regular basis.” Although not a specific part of the nationwide membership program, Schuyler points to the business advantages. “We’ll be able to form regional and national partnerships with companies that want to partner with the Y for their employees’ health and wellbeing,” he says. “Without a national infrastructure, companies could not partner with us because the Y membership benefit would not have been available to all their employees across the country.” McDermott says these corporate partnerships could take the form of companies offering Y memberships as a benefit of employment or naming the Y their charity of choice and giving employees paid time off to regularly volunteer. “National employers really want to volunteer at the Y, but we have to be consistent in our programs,” she says. “Most people don’t realize that Ys are separate entities, and the people that do don’t understand why. This national alignment will help Ys to grow and impact more people. We expect — and already have evidence — that this will increase our potential with major corporations.”

SPREADING THE WORD A letter announcing the program went out to Y CEOs in March, with operating guidelines and agreements following in early April. Walker says Y-USA is trying to get the majority, if not every Y, signed on by May 1st. Participation is voluntary, but the expectation is that 98 to 99 percent of Ys will sign on. “About 770 out of the roughly 850 YMCAs in the U.S. are already participating in some kind of reciprocal program, so we already have broad-based support,” says Walker. “Now we are connecting the dots and creating a universal system that works for members and Ys.” “It’s about getting all the YMCAs doing reciprocity the same way and aligning them for the power of the national movement,” adds Schuyler. Over the summer, certain states will participate in a pilot program to test the national membership methodology for enrollment, which includes a technology solution for member card validation. There is no cost for the software or hardware needed to participate. These staggered rollouts will continue across the country through September and October, with a goal of being fully national with the program by November 1, 2017. Y-USA is providing informational webinars to aid in the transition. Schuyler says Y-USA will also market the nationwide membership and provide a tool kit for local Ys to market it to their own communities. “Most of the Y CEOs will have heard of this initiative, but for the tens of thousands of Y employees, they may be hearing about nationwide Y membership for the first time,” McDermott says. “It’s exciting and keeps the Y relevant by addressing the needs of the communities we serve.”

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THE CHALLENGES A nationwide membership makes sense and Ys are behind it, but that doesn’t mean the concept has not met with challenges. “Ys are fiercely independent, and many had their own reciprocal programs with different ideas of what that should include,” says Walker. “But we’re making headway on that.” There have also been some concerns raised about cyclical crowd control, such as how to handle snowbird memberships. “We can’t say for sure what these new patterns will be, but we will be able to track them specifically,” she says. “Typical member programs and services you offer to local Y members, you have to offer to nationwide members, too,” McDermott says. “So is there potential for times where spinning classes and child watch is overflowing? Yes. Ys may say that a popular activity or program is open to local members first and then to national members based on availability. We won’t control that at the national level.” Ys have different pricing structures, and that’s not going to change. However, some additional questions were raised about whether a member might join a YMCA with a lower membership fee but intend to use a different Y with a higher rate.

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April/May 2017 AYP magazine 21

“It’s possible that someone might try to join a lower-cost Y and then go three towns over and use the higher-price Y,” Walker admits. “But we’re not expecting that to be much of an issue. In the regions that already had reciprocals in place, this was an initial concern that never really happened to a great extent. We can track the member’s majority-use Y, and if it becomes an issue, we can control that over time, perhaps by specifying that members must join the Y that they use 50 percent of the time.” Another benefit for Ys on the nationwide membership program is free sex offender registry screening. “Our North Star is to always keep the children safe,” McDermott says. “That means that anyone on the sex offender registry cannot participate in the YMCA nationwide membership program.” It sounds straightforward, but McDermott acknowledges “false positives” on the sex offender registry, which to this point, each Y has addressed on a case by case basis. McDermott says Y-USA will “stay strict” on this and give local Ys information on how to handle the situation. “We did a full legal review, and all Ys participating in the nationwide membership will follow our policy,” she says. “Anyone who is a level 1 sex offender or higher cannot be in the nationwide membership program, but Ys can still decide to give them a local membership, taking into account what constitutes discrimination according to their state law.” That said, she acknowledges that there could also be potential challenges with undocumented immigrants. “Y-USA is currently working on effective practices to handle this so we can stay true to our desire to be as open and inclusive as possible, while keeping children safe.”

PUTTING IT IN CONTEXT As the shift from reciprocity to a nationwide membership unfolds in the coming months, the heavy lifting of writing the guidelines and getting the Ys on board has been done. McDermott says it is important to honor and recognize “the incredible grassroots effort” that has made a national membership come to life. “It shows us what’s possible, what we can do when we focus and work together,” she says. It’s an interesting story. The conversation started in about 2007, when the economy entered the Great Recession. “The New England Y CEOs got together and started talking about what could be done to be more competitive, and they decided to allow a reciprocal membership,” McDermott explains. “They were the original pilot, and they collected all the data. They worried about certain facilities being over-visited, but once we got the data, the myths were debunked.” By 2011, the New England Y CEOs had to vote if they were all in. “There were too many variables at the local level, and it was diluting the brand,” McDermott says. “They voted to let a reciprocal member into each other’s Ys at any time. Everyone wrote it in to their policy with eventually only one Y abstaining.” By 2014, about eight or nine states were offering reciprocals, mostly in New England. Y-USA went to Y resource directors around the country and explained it. By 2016, 70 percent of the Ys were in support, and that’s when Kevin Washington issued his challenge.

22 AYP magazine April/May 2017

“Local Ys contribute to Y-USA’s strategic plan, and they let us know that we were not paying enough attention to membership,” McDermott says. “Our communities expect us us to get consistent on the YMCA membership experience today. By leveraging our collective impact from the grassroots level up to a national effort, we will see that a nationwide membership will promote and protect our brand.”

Carla Kalogeridis is AYP managing editor.

THE NATIONAL YMCA structure is not visible to many members, so this program should greatly enhance their membership value. Sandy Walker CEO, YMCA of Silicon Valley

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April/May 2017 AYP magazine 23

SWIMMING TO SAFETY Aquatic safety and drown prevention top the priorities for Y safety professionals.

By Thomas Marcetti

quatics safety and drown prevention programs at the Y are some of the strongest, most successful in the U.S. But that doesn’t mean safety professionals are resting any easier.

Keeping people safe in the water means constant vigilance and adaptation to societal trends. “Although the number of drownings at Ys is very low when compared to other organizations, even one loss is too many,” says Derek Eversdyke, director of facility safety products at Clarion Safety Systems. “I attended the YMCA Risk Management Conference this past October in Chicago. They talked about the top three concerns risk management professionals lose sleep over. Water safety was right up there.”

24 AYP magazine April/May 2017

Eversdyke says Clarion works with many Ys across the country, and aquatic safety and drown prevention is one of the toughest challenges Ys are facing — especially when it comes to children. “Pools represent a serious risk, especially for young people who are unable to swim well or at all,” Eversdyke says. “I’ve heard staff members at Ys and other aquatic facilities say that parents typically don’t go in the water with their children, and that needs to change. Drowning is the main cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4, and 88 percent of child drowning deaths occur with a parent nearby.” The good news, says Gareth Hedges, chief claims officer for The Redwoods Group, is that drowning deaths across the Y have declined significantly in recent years. In the past 15 years, drownings at Ys have gone from 12-15 per year to 0-2 per year. Hedges says Redwoods has specialized almost specifically in insurance with Ys since 1997, and the group currently insures about half of the Ys in the country. “We have a strong focus on keeping Ys safe,” Hedges says. “Whenever someone is pulled from a pool, we’re out there to investigate. So we’re able to tell exactly how people get into trouble in the pool. We can send notices to Ys saying ‘Here is what happened. Here is what can be done to prevent it from happening again.’” Education and training of both staff and members is important. But even those who are confident in their swimming abilities might still end up in hot water. A 2014 American Red Cross survey concluded that 80 percent of Americans think they can swim, but only 56 percent of those swimmers could actually save their own lives if they had to. That gap — where confident, fit swimmers are getting into trouble — is receiving an increasing amount of attention. Y staff around the country are working to address three growing concerns among aquatic safety professionals.

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HYPOXIC BLACKOUTS Despite significant advances in aquatic safety made by Ys across the country, many drownings are caused by people putting themselves at risk — especially through extended breath-holding exercises. “It’s a relatively unknown hazard. Strong, fit swimmers are the typical victims,” Eversdyke says. “Statistics have shown that this type of drowning compared to what we have known drowning to be for years is a 1:1 ratio. It’s a serious concern.” The main culprit is known as hypoxic blackout. In terms of Ys and community swimming areas, hypoxic blackout typically results from the practice of hyperventilation preceding underwater swimming and extended breath-holding. The combination results in oxygen deprivation in the body and unconsciousness. Sometimes called shallow water blackout — a term that describes a similar condition caused by divers resurfacing too quickly from extreme depths — hypoxic blackout is especially dangerous because there are usually virtually no signs of distress. Mike Espino, aquatics safety specialist at YMCA of the USA, says the most common cause of this at Ys is people practicing extended-breath holding, even though most Ys ban the practice in their facilities. “It’s an issue all across the country,” he says. “There have been deaths due to hypoxic blackout at Ys, and there have been many more deaths from it outside the Y. Many Ys adopt policies to prevent this, and they have been great at educating members. But sometimes the rules are not enforced.”

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April/May 2017 AYP magazine 25

Hedges says education and building a culture of aquatic safety are crucial. Hedges says lifeguards are human. Humans can fail; that’s why aquatic education and layers of protection are so important. When we have a drowning it’s because policy wasn’t followed.” However, existing aquatic safety policies likely need to be changed to address another major concern.

MEDICAL EVENTS

PARENTS TYPICALLY don’t go in the water with their children, and that needs to change. Derek Eversdyke Director of Facility Safety Products, Clarion Safety Systems

WHEN WE HAVE A drowning, it’s because policy wasn’t followed. Mike Espino Aquatics Safety Specialist, YMCA of the USA

26 AYP magazine April/May 2017

The increase in medical events in pools is a particularly troubling trend. “If someone has a heart attack on the treadmill, people see them. While they are waiting to get care, they can breathe,” Hedges says. “If someone has a heart attack mid-stroke in the pool, there isn’t a sound. There isn’t splashing — like what usually accompanies drowning. And they can’t breathe. They can’t breathe during the time it takes for someone to see or while help is on the way.” While there is a wide range of medical emergencies that become more dangerous in pools, heart issues tend to be the most common. Espino says these lifethreatening medical events sometimes involve a child with an undiagnosed heart condition, but most often it is an older swimmer. “Baby Boomers are more engaged. They are staying active, and that is great,” Espino says. “It also means there are more people in the pools who are more likely to have heart episodes.” The CDC reported that deaths related to heart disease had been on the decline from 1985 to 2011, but between 2011 and 2014, they jumped up 3 percent. The report states that the increase is largely caused by the aging U.S. population. “There is nothing you can do to prevent a medical event in the water, but what you do when it happens makes a big difference in the person’s chances of survival,” Espino says. With medical events like heart attacks and strokes, every second counts. Training staff to be proactive and be more involved with members can save lives. “I really encourage aquatic staff to get to know who comes in the water. Looking out for things that are out of the ordinary is crucial. Espino says. “But if you don’t know what is normal for a particular person because you don’t know them, it becomes much harder to know what is abnormal.” Hedges says having multiple lifeguards on duty is crucial to incident management and identifying medical events. “Watching someone swim laps is very different from watching kids play. Multiple lifeguards are better able to focus on the different cognitive tasks needed to ensure everyone’s safety,” he says. “One lifeguard should be scanning the pool, scanning the bottom. One should be walking the pool deck, talking to people. That is where you can better see the medical events. The customer service — saying hi to people, getting to know them, helping them into a lane — that is how you really know what’s going on with individuals in the pool. But you can’t do that and watch the entire pool simultaneously.”

TAKING POOL SAFETY TO THE STREETS Lindsay Mondick, senior manager of aquatics at YMCA of the USA, says the Safety Around Water community outreach has been a great success. The program, which is now in its second year, involves Y aquatics staff going to pools in the community for training and aquatic safety education. “The basis of the program is to have a platform to advocate safety and an avenue to create community partnerships to reach at-risk youth,” she says. Through the program, Ys across the country are working with organizations like the Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts and with community residents through homeowner associations and apartment complexes. Mondick says the curriculum focuses on two important areas to prevent drowning: how to quickly get off the bottom of the pool and to the side after falling in, and how to float face up and catch their breath. Debbie Hesse, executive director of USA Swimming Foundation, says the Y’s aquatic programming is a significant positive force in communities. USA Swimming Foundation partners with Ys through grant funding, lesson plans, providing supplies, and through their Make a Splash initiative.

According to a 2010 USA Swimming Foundation and University of Memphis study, participation in formal swim lessons can reduce the likelihood of childhood drowning by 88 percent. Hess says 10 people — children and adults — die every day due to drowning and that is too many. “This is something that we can prevent, so it’s important to raise awareness, and the USA Swimming Foundation provides support to swim-lesson providers across the country who ensure children who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity learn to swim,” Hess says.

April/May 2017 AYP magazine 27

Staffing multiple lifeguards is easier said than done, especially when finding lifeguards is an increasingly difficult task.

LIFEGUARD SHORTAGE

ARE YOU PAYING THAT job enough? We need to look at the importance of the position. Gareth Hedges Chief Claims Officer, The Redwoods Group

Espino says lifeguards are in short supply across the country and Ys have not been shielded from that. He says the lifeguard shortage has been a problem for many years, but it really came into focus at the end of the Great Recession. When the economy went into an upswing and jobs started coming back, it became even harder to hire lifeguards. “When everyone was trying to find a job, it wasn’t as bad,” he says. “With the economy better, there are better-paying jobs with less responsibility, less pressure, and less required training.” In addition, Espino notes that job itself has changed and become more demanding, which also makes it less appealing to some people. “Lifeguarding is not like it used to be,” Espino says. “Where it used to be one lifeguard watching one pool, we now have facilities with multiple pools, water features, and therapy apparatus. So not only are more lifeguards needed, but the complexity of duties has increased.” Espino says that some Ys have looked to seniors in the community to help address the shortage. There has been some success in this, but Espino says the effort still runs into the same hurdles: It’s a difficult, demanding job that doesn’t pay very well. To really address the shortage, Ys may need to reprioritize. Hedges says re-evaluating the importance of the position is a good start to addressing the shortage. Making the position more professional, expecting more from lifeguards, and compensating them more is a good way to start expanding the pool of potential lifeguards. “Are you paying that job enough? We need to look at the importance of the position,” Hedges says. “Often times at Ys, we see parties at the pool. Usually there is a lifeguard and a party planner. And most of the time, the party planner is being paid more. Which job is more important?” This can’t be a cosmetic fix. Just like each Y needs to focus energy on constant education and vigilance, cultural changes need to be made at all levels in regard to aquatic safety and the role of lifeguards. “The c-suite, managers, leaders, or whoever must understand what a lifeguard means. If we think of a kid sitting in a chair watching people swim — that’s not good enough,” Hedges says. “But if we see an advocate of aquatic safety, an educator who increases the value of camp programs, a front-line customer service representative, and a lifesaver — well, that’s a different story.”

Thomas Marcetti is associate editor for AYP.

RULES OF FINANCIAL ENGAGEMENT FOR Y PROFESSIONALS Enjoying a Y career doesn’t have to come at the expense of financial security. Here’s the money mentoring you’ve been looking for. By Rick Hopkins

ver my 30-year career as a Y director, I have worked with some of the most dedicated, selfless, hard-working, and mission-driven individuals on Earth. However, nonprofit professionals as a group are among the most underpaid, highest taxed, and most in-debt segments of our country’s workforce. This could partly explain why our movement often loses so many of our best people to other, arguably less-fulfilling careers that just happen to pay a little more. While less applicable at higher levels of larger nonprofit organizations like the Y, the scarcity mentality certainly exists among part-time staff, our organization’s lifeblood, as well as entry-level full-timers. Sometimes, just a few thousand dollars a year can make a significant difference in someone’s finances. How many friends and co-workers do you know who left the Y movement to make more money? The problem may not be lack of money; it is more likely the lack of full access to the money they already made. Y professionals will eagerly seek out extensive training to improve their fundraising skills, to help underwrite our charitable mission, or how to increase revenues through improved member service and program quality. Yet we purposefully forgo even the most basic financial education training and opportunities for ourselves. Caring for others above self is simply who we are; however, we must give ourselves permission to put our own families first for a change. We run our nonprofit business — and yes, the Y definitely is a business — with great fiscal skill and resourcefulness. In his excellent book Good to Great and the Social Sectors, Jim Collins states that the skillset required to be the CEO of a highfunctioning nonprofit like the Y is greater than that of a comparable for-profit CEO. Collins feels that nonprofit CEOs must be more resourceful and do more with less than their for-profit counterparts. There is no reason nonprofit professionals cannot learn to apply the same admirable attributes we demonstrate daily at work to our own personal finances. The key is financial education. We must take it upon ourselves to learn the unwritten financial rules of engagement to ensure success in our capitalistic society. I have identified four challenges which, if not properly managed, will prevent Y professionals from attaining personal financial success. And they apply to everyone, from the minimum-wage, part-time, child-watch attendant to the regional vice president making six figures. I call them our Four Financial Enemies. To defeat an enemy in the field, you need a well thought-out battle plan. Yet, before you can develop a battle plan, you must first know the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War states, “Know your enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles you will be victorious.” However, simply identifying problems is the easy part. Let’s go a step further and explore some proven solutions as well, a three-part process to financial success.

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Here is a “2-4-3 financial success construct” that will form the foundation for an overarching financial strategy. There are two objectives, four challenges, and three solutions that comprise this strategy.

TWO OBJECTIVES 1. We all desire to live a comfortable lifestyle during our working years. The word comfortable means different things to different people, but we all know what it means to us. This is known as your current lifestyle and is paid for by your labor. 2. Someday, you will want to retire without lowering your standard of living. At that point, your labor will no longer be able to support you. Your future lifestyle will be paid for by your investments. This means that during your working years, you will need to acquire revenue-producing assets to support you financially during retirement. Achieving both objectives can be difficult, if not impossible, because you may find yourself locked in to a cycle of pain. The symptoms are easy to recognize: 1) You have no money; 2) You are in debt; and 3) You have no savings or investments. But where does someone living paycheck-to-paycheck just to make ends meet find the money to invest?

FOUR CHALLENGES 1. High Taxes. When I speak to groups on cash flow management, I start by asking one simple question: “What is your largest monthly expense?” Nine out of ten will confidently answer “my mortgage” or “my rent.” And they are wrong! The answer is income taxes. You lose a third of your income to taxes. Do the math. If you make $50,000 a year, Uncle Sam takes $15,000 right off the top. That hurts! According to the IRS’s own website, 80 percent of Americans over-pay their taxes each year simply because they fill out their W4 Tax Withholding Form incorrectly, causing their employer to withhold too much tax from their paycheck. 2. Debt. You lose another third of your income to debt, usually as a result of attempting to compensate for money lost to taxes by taking out credit cards, car loans, and other high-interest loans. You are forced to make ends meet on only the remaining third of your income. No wonder you’re broke all the time! Proverbs 22:7 says, “The borrower is the slave to the lender.” Debt elimination should be a top priority for you. Don’t go to the job each day singing, “I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go.” 3. Inflation. Inflation is simply the progressive increase in the cost of living. Inflation typically rises 2 percent to 4 percent a year. It’s death by a thousand cuts. Its effects are cumulative, and the rate of inflation doubles every 20 years or so. Inflation just keeps eating away at your income day in and day out, month after month, year after year. Not unlike taxes, you just become numb to it after a while. For example, if you were making $25,000 a year 20 years ago, you would need to earn at least $50,000 a year today to have kept up with inflation. 4. Inadequate Cash-Flow Management. Cash flow is very different from income. You earn income, but you create cash flow through the decisions you make with the income you earn. Cash flow is comprised of money you have earned, saved, leveraged, invested, etc. Creating cash flow is the secret sauce to building wealth. Creating new cash flow from tax savings and using it to eliminate debt and then using

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the combined tax/debt savings to begin investing and acquiring revenue-producing assets is an art and a science. Once again, it requires financial education combined with a skill Y professionals know well: strategic implementation. Right now, your money is making someone rich; unfortunately, that someone probably isn’t you.

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go.silversneakers.com/ayp. *2015 SilverSneakers Annual Participant Survey

32 AYP magazine April/May 2017

THREE SOLUTIONS 1. Income Shifting. Working longer hours, taking on a second job, or changing careers may not be your best option for earning additional income. Where W2 job income is concerned, the more you make the more Uncle Sam takes, until you eventually invoke the law of diminishing returns. Imagine that your net pay at work, better known as your take-home pay, is nearly the same as your gross pay. Could you put that additional third of your income to good use? What if you could free up your current principal and interest payments on credit cards, car notes, and other high-interest loans and apply them to your current bills and investments? Income shifting is a financial strategy that shows you how to minimize your taxes, eliminate your debt, and build investment income using your own money. 2. Business Ownership. Uncle Sam definitely plays favorites. You can easily verify this by simply looking at the tax codes. For example, he prefers homeowners to renters and business owners to employees. Metaphorically speaking, homeowners and business owners get the elevator; while renters and employees get the shaft. As a W2 employee, you pay the highest possible tax rates and get the fewest allowable tax deductions. Business owners, even home-based business owners, get over 400 tax deductions for everyday expenses that employees have as well, such as your home, car, food, travel, meals, and entertainment. I have a good friend who is a manager at a power plant. He is also an excellent artist who paints as a hobby. He established a home-based business and sells his paintings on the internet while taking full advantage of business write-offs like his cell phone, laptop, internet, auto mileage, travel, eating out, and painting supplies — and also writes off a percentage of his apartment as a home office. For an employee, the combination of having both a job and a home-based business is a winning combination. As the published author of four books (including an Amazon #1 best seller), I use this financial strategy extensively. 3. Build Investment Income. Let me be clear: I am not a CPA or licensed financial advisor. I cannot advise you on what to invest in or who to invest with. My goal is only to share financial strategies that will enable you to take more control of your personal economy. Proven strategies such as cash-asset-cash will help you build a foundation for generational wealth in your family where none existed before. Here is how it works. You get some cash, use it to acquire income-producing assets, then use the cash generated from assets to acquire more assets…wash, rinse, repeat. It may be a bit of an oversimplification to say that an asset is something that makes you money, while a liability is something that costs you money, but it works for the purposes of this article. Avoid overspending on liabilities. The thrill of expensive cars, trendy clothes, and the latest electronic gadgets soon fades, but investments that appreciate exponentially over time bring a more substantial, long-term satisfaction. Prior to beginning an investment program, be sure to minimize your taxes and get yourself debt-free. This will provide cash flow to fully fund your work/retirement plan

and start a basic emergency fund. In a perfect world, your emergency fund should contain six months of living expenses. However, this is not a perfect world, so try to have at least $2,000 - $3,000 set aside in your emergency fund before beginning an investment program. When the time comes, seek the guidance of professional money managers and advisors. Don’t try to go it alone until you have some experience under your belt. And the following is very important: Don’t take investment advice from your broke friends. Additionally, you may have been taught that saving money in a bank is a good idea, but because banks pay you interest lower than the rate of inflation, your money is guaranteed to be worth less when you take it out than when you put it in. You may as well stuff it in your mattress or bury it in the backyard. Instead, seek professional guidance. It’s not always about making more money; sometimes it’s about making less of the money you already make taxable. For the record: I do not advocate avoiding paying your taxes. I believe one should pay every penny one owes in taxes, but not a penny more. High taxes, however, represent the greatest threat to employees who want to build wealth. Strategically incorporating the tax advantages of a home-based business mitigates many of the tax disadvantages associated with W2 job income and allows employees to level the financial playing field. I call this a sword-and-shield financial strategy. Imagine yourself a gladiator in ancient times. Your primary weapon was your sword, but you also carried a shield for protection. Your job is like your sword; it pays your bills and feeds, houses, and clothes your family. Your home-based business is like your shield; it protects your job income from excessive taxation by utilizing tax deductions and other tax advantages. Uncle Sam actually encourages employees to also have a part-time business. Why? Because should you lose your job, he would much rather pay you to ramp up your part-time business to full-time than pay you unemployment or welfare. Makes sense to me. Y professionals need to have a Plan B in case life throws us a curve ball. A job augmented by a home-based business is a formidable combination. The information I have shared with you is not theory or rhetoric; it is my personal reality. After losing most of my life’s savings in a bitter divorce, I left a Y career I loved because I was in need of more income. I am back now, but had I known then what I know now about money and how it really works in America, I would never have left. It is said, “When the student is ready, a teacher will appear.” At a low point in my life, I was blessed to find that teacher — a financial mentor who took me under his wing and taught me the financial rules of engagement. In return, he asked only that I pay it forward to others as he had done with me. This article is my attempt to fulfill that promise.

We make it our business to know your business.

When something happens at your YMCA, it may not be a disaster. But no matter what kind of claim you may have, it’s reassuring to know West Bend will handle it with efficiency, professionalism, and compassion. That’s because we understand your business. When a child was in distress while swimming in a Y pool, the lifeguard staff knew just what to do, thanks, in part, to the training they recently received from West Bend. The lifeguard’s rescue and surveillance skills turned what might have been a catastrophic situation into a minor incident. Your Y is important to you, the people you serve, and your community. It’s also important to us. That’s why we make it our business to know your business.

Rick Hopkins is executive director of Rockaway YMCA at Arverne by the Sea and author of The Nonprofit Millionaire, a book on cashflow management,

April/May 2017 AYP magazine 33

marketplace VENDORS: ENGAGE WITH AYP COMMUNITY AYP recently released the AYP Partner Program, which gives YMCA vendors and suppliers better access and engagement with the AYP community. The Partner Program offers marketing packages within your member resources, including this magazine. Know an outstanding company that should become a Partner? Send an email to ayp@network mediapartners.com.

The Redwoods Institute Evolves The Redwoods Institute moved to a new Learning Management System â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Cornerstone OnDemand. The new system gives Ys working with Redwoods an improved admin and user experience and an important shift from a focus on compliance and individual completions to a more systemic focus on comprehension, and on a culture of organizational effectiveness. Among the new innovations were several new features designed to make both the learning and administration process more consistent, accessible, and effective. These include an improved system structure, training notifications for staff, and data upload via spreadsheet.

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34 AYP magazine April/May 2017

spirituality

A Little Salt and Light in a Chaotic World Chaotic best describes the world we live in today. We’d like to think that these are unusually difficult times, but that’s simply not true. In reality, not much has changed over the centuries. Technology has advanced, knowledge has increased, conveniences have multiplied, travel is much easier, and entertainment options are almost ridiculous. But the human condition is still the same. People struggle to find peace, happiness, fulfillment, purpose, and meaning while dealing with their own share of problems, hardships, disappointments, challenges, and chaos. I’ve been thinking about something Jesus said: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? … You are the light of the world. … Let your light so shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify the Father that is in heaven.” The louder the noise around me has gotten, the more I’ve been wondering what I can do to help calm the chaos. In biblical times, salt was a preservative. Perishable foods were salted and dried to be consumed at a later time. In addition, salt was used as a flavor enhancer. A little salt can make a huge difference in how something tastes. The purpose of light has never changed. Light has always been used to dispel darkness. When there’s light, that which is unseen can be seen, clearing the path in front of us to confidently move forward.

Larry Whittlesey Larry Whittlesey is national director of US Mission Network. He helps connect YMCAs, community leaders, and a growing list of national and regional partners.

In the past, I’ve illustrated that truth by taking people into a darkened gymnasium. I’d tell them I was going to move to a spot, stand there silently, and ask them to walk straight to me. In the complete darkness, they often would wander all over the gym lost and confused. But as soon as I light one candle, they could come straight to me. The message of Christ for us today is the same as it was to His followers then. Obviously, the world has problems too great for any of us to solve. But we can be the salt and light in our own sphere of influence. We can add a little flavor, help preserve relationships, and shine as light in the darkness. Even a little salt and a little light can make a big difference in someone’s life. Actually, I don’t think it’s as hard to do that as we sometimes think it is.

You could bring treats for the teacher breakroom, read to a kindergarten class, be a mentor for a student, or a greeter welcoming children to school each morning. How about providing rides for seniors to a Silver Sneakers program, hosting a luncheon for single moms, or a Saturday morning Donuts with Dads to help fathers spend quality time with their children at your YMCA? Nonprofit agencies are always looking for volunteers to help meet the needs of an underserved population, provide resources for the homeless, or support the families of those who are dealing with life-changing health issues. The point is that we don’t have to solve all of society’s issues to be salt and light in our little corner of the world. All of us can do something to make a difference. Remember what Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify the Father that is in heaven.” You can be the salt that makes life taste better, preserves relationships, and penetrates your community. The light you share can dispel the darkness that affects those around you, offering comfort in the midst of life’s trials. A ray of light or a dash salt is often all it takes to make the chaos bearable. As a child, I learned a song in Sunday School: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” A simple little song contains such a profound truth. My prayer is that we learn to be the salt and light in a world full of chaos.

WE DON’T HAVE TO SOLVE ALL OF SOCIETY’S ISSUES TO BE SALT AND light in our little corner of the world. April/May 2017 AYP magazine 35

body, mind, spirit. SPIRIT

“ THOUSANDS OF CANDLES CAN BE LIGHTED FROM A SINGLE CANDLE, AND THE LIFE OF THE CANDLE WILL NOT BE SHORTENED. HAPPINESS NEVER DECREASES BY BEING SHARED.” — Buddha MIND

When you curtail a word, you remove the last letter and still have a valid word. You will be given clues for the two words, longer word first. BODY

Don’t Skimp on Vacation Time

ccording to a recent survey of 2,300 workers on Glassdoor.com, U.S. employees use only 51 percent of their eligible paid vacation time. Even more alarming, 61 percent of Americans report working while on vacation. One in four report being contacted about a work-related matter while taking time off. B uild a good habit: Plan your vacations, take them, and enjoy yourself. Give yourself and your teammates permission to unplug. Benefits: John De Graaf, who made a documentary about overworked Americans, found a high cost to not taking vacation. “Women who don’t take regular vacations are two to eight times more likely to suffer from depression, and have a 50 percent higher chance of heart disease,” he says. “For men, the risk of death from a heart attack goes up a third.”

Example: Begin Heavenly body Answer: The words are Start and Star. 1. Pebbles, rock fragments Tomb; serious 2. E xperience emotion; touch Fixed charge 3. S tandard of perfection Mental concept; thought 4. A rtist’s tripod Freedom from hardship 5. P ale tint of colour Glue; a soft malleable mixture Answers 1. Gravel Grave; 2. Feel Fee; 3. Ideal Idea; 4. Easel Ease; 5. Pastel Paste

Leigh Stringer, LEED AP, is a workplace strategy expert and researcher. Her work has been covered by national media, including CNN, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and Good Morning America.

36 AYP magazine April/May 2017

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